The Fear Index

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Shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2012.

Robert Harris' latest book is gripping, compelling and unsettlingly a little too close to the truth. Set entirely over the course of a single day, The Fear Index follows the genius owner of an incredibly successful, computer controlled, hedge fund in his quest to find out who is trying to destroy him, even as the world's financial markets head for collapse.

CWA Judges' comment: “Highly readable account of a scientist who once worked on the Hadron Collider and now runs a hedge fund. Intriguingly ambiguous take on the Frankenstein story.”

Synopsis

The Fear Index by Robert Harris

Meet Alex Hoffmann: among the secretive inner circle of the ultra-rich, he is something of a legend. Based in Geneva, he has developed a revolutionary system that has the power to manipulate financial markets. Generating billions of dollars, it is a system that thrives on panic - and feeds on fear. And then, in the early hours of one morning, while he lies asleep, a sinister intruder breaches the elaborate security of his lakeside home. So begins a waking nightmare of paranoia and violence as Hoffmann attempts - with increasing desperation - to discover who is trying to destroy him - before it's too late...

Reviews

The Fear Index could scarcely be more of the moment The Times Harris is a master of pace and entertainment, and The Fear Index is a thoroughly enjoyable book ... Read the book. Observer The Fear Index is an escapist thriller to rank with the best of them, and as a guide to what hedge funds actually do, it is surprisingly clear and instructive. Economist There are moments when this book feels so up to date it could have been written next week... spookily exciting. Express I would recommend The Fear Index, the new novel by Robert Harris that delves into the world of modern finance. The writing is as elegant as ever -- Lionel Barber Financial Times

About the Author

Robert Harris is the author of eight bestselling novels: Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, Imperium, The Ghost, Lustrum and The Fear Index. Several of his books have been filmed, most recently The Ghost, which was directed by Roman Polanski. His work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. He lives in the village of Kintbury, west Berkshire, with his wife Gill Hornby and a fluctuating number of children.